The Giants have re-signed linebacker Mark Herzlich, keeping him off the open market, according to the team. Herzlich had been eligible for restricted free agency.
Herzlich, 26, didn’t have a significant role on defense for the Giants in 2013, playing just 194 snaps. However, he was one of New York’s key special teams contributors, racking up a team-high 14 tackles. The Boston College product has spent all three seasons of his young NFL career with the Giants.
3:15pm: Carlson’s two-year contract is worth $4.65MM, says Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
3:05pm: The Cardinals have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with free agent tight end John Carlson, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic first reported this afternoon (via Twitter) that the Cards were “working on a deal” for Carlson, who met with the team yesterday after being released by the Vikings earlier this week.
Carlson, who was also drawing interest from the Jets and Packers, as we heard yesterday, recorded a total of 40 receptions for 387 yards in his two seasons with the Vikings as the team’s second tight end behind Kyle Rudolph. Carlson was said to be considering retirement this offseason after suffering his third concussion during the 2013 season, but decided to continue his playing career.
The 29-year-old can be an effective weapon in a team’s passing game when he’s healthy, but as Tom Pelissero of USA Today notes (via Twitter), Carlson hasn’t really been 100% since the 2010 season. He’ll join an Arizona team that didn’t feature a top receiving threat at tight end during the 2013 season. Rob Housler and Jim Dray led the way in tight end receptions for the club, combining to catch 65 balls.
MARCH 7: The Cowboys have officially released Costa, according to the team. Dallas also restructured offensive lineman Mackenzy Bernadeau‘s contract to help gain cap room.
FEBRUARY 28: The Cowboys have already released four players today, and another cut is around the corner, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (link via the National Football Post). According to Wilson, the Cowboys are parting ways with center Phil Costa, who will be released rather than accepting a pay cut.
Unlike the team’s earlier cuts, Costa was not on a minimum salary deal for 2014, so releasing him will create $1.5MM in cap savings for Dallas. The 26-year-old had a cap number of $1.725MM, which will be reduced to $225K in dead money.
Costa was the Cowboys’ full-time starter at center in 2011, but missed most of 2012 with an ankle injury and transitioned into a backup role in 2013.
The Jaguars have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with quarterback Chad Henne, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Ryan O’Hallaron of the Florida Times-Union had reported yesterday that the club expected to lock up Henne within the next couple days.
Henne’s two-year deal is worth $8MM, including $4.5MM guaranteed, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The contract includes a $1.5MM signing bonus and a $3MM roster bonus, and features incentives that can be earned based on playing time and other criteria. You can check out the full details from Marvez on Twitter, but the upshot is that the more Henne plays – and the better he performs – the more his salary will increase in both 2014 and 2015.
Henne, 28, started 13 games for the Jaguars last season after taking over the job from Blaine Gabbert. The veteran signal-caller completed 60.6% of his attempts, compiling 3,241 passing yards and 13 touchdowns to go along with his 14 interceptions. While those numbers aren’t spectacular, the Jaguars had insisted since the regular season ended that they wanted to bring Henne back, and the team has now backed up those comments.
Although Henne will be back in Jacksonville next season, that doesn’t mean the team will simply hand him the starting job. The former second-round pick might head into 2014 as the No. 1 guy, or at least with a chance to compete for that spot, but the Jaguars are expected to select a quarterback fairly early in May’s draft. Henne’s spot on the depth chart could ultimately depend on whether Jacksonville uses its No. 3 overall pick on that signal-caller, or whether the club waits until the second or third round to draft a QB.
A league source told O’Halloran today that he doesn’t expect the Jaguars to prioritize a signal-caller in the draft after re-signing Henne (Twitter link). O’Halloran’s source figures the club won’t draft a quarterback until at least the second round, and perhaps the third or fourth.
Had Henne reached the open market, he would have drawn interest from other teams, including the Texans, tweets Garafolo. Clubs seeking a veteran quarterback will have to turn to other available options such as Michael Vick, Josh McCown, Matt Cassel, and Josh Freeman. Matt Schaub and Mark Sanchez may also hit the market, as they’re are among the signal-callers expected to become cap casualties within the next few weeks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Vikings have re-signed defensive back and punt returner Marcus Sherels, the team announced today (Twitter link). Sherels’ agent, Chris Murray, had expressed optimism earlier this week that his client would reach an agreement with Minnesota before the free agent period got underway.
Sherels, 26, saw an increased role in the secondary in 2013, playing 545 defensive snaps. With that extra playing time, Sherels racked up 47 tackles, seven passes defended, and an interception. His most positive contributions probably came on special teams, however, where he averaged 15.2 yards per attempt on 22 punt returns, including a touchdown.
Sherels, who was set to become a restricted free agent, will be in line for a raise on 2013’s $630K minimum salary. Even if his new deal is also only worth the minimum, that amount would increase to $730K for the coming season.
As he looks ahead to contract talks with the Lions, Ndamukong Suh has signed with CAA Sports agent Jimmy Sexton, according to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (via Twitter). Suh is believed to have hired Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports for marketing purposes, but it looks like Sexton will be handling the defensive lineman’s contract negotiations.
Suh, 27, has two years remaining on his current contract with the Lions, but there’s a very good chance he and the team will address and rework that deal this offseason. Suh’s current 2014 cap hit of $22.41MM isn’t tenable for the Lions, so the two sides may work out an agreement that pushes some of that money back to 2015 — the club could also spread Suh’s salary out beyond 2015 if the two sides agree to an extension that tacks additional years onto the current contract.
Multiple reports earlier this week indicated that Suh had been considering representing himself in those negotiations with the Lions, but hiring an agent like Sexton looks like the right call. Given the leverage Suh has at this point, a contract extension could give him long-term security throughout the rest of his prime, so it’ll be important to maximize his value.
Already today, we’ve heard that the Saints are prepared to part ways with one of their longest-tenured players, Lance Moore. While we wait for official word on Moore’s release, let’s quickly round up a few more items out of New Orleans….
FRIDAY, 1:04pm: The Falcons won’t push Umenyiora to take a pay cut if he’s not inclined to accept one, says Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. According to Florio, the team’s inquiry into Umenyiora’s salary is part of a standard year-end procedure, and if the defensive end isn’t open to the idea, the club will make a decision on whether to keep him or cut him.
THURSDAY, 12:18pm: The Falcons want defensive end Osi Umenyiora, set to earn $3.5MM in 2014, to take a pay cut, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. The veteran has a $500K roster bonus due on March 25th.
Recently, the 32-year-old expressed optimism that he would be back with Atlanta for this season even though he would count as a $4.75MM hit against the team’s salary cap. The Falcons another big-name defender in cornerback Asante Samuel last month to create more than $4MM in cap savings.
While Samuel struggled to stay on the field last season, Umenyiora saw time in all 16 games with 13 starts. The former face of the Giants racked up 47 tackles and 7.5 sacks, forced three fumbles, and returned an interception for a touchdown. Even if he can’t come to terms with the Falcons on a number for 2014, Umenyiora has said that he intends to continue playing and sees himself going for three more seasons.
Contract talks between the Ravens and left tackle Eugene Monroe are at a standstill, sources tell Matt Zenitz of the Carroll County Times (Twitter link), who reports that the free-agent-to-be appears unlikely to return to Baltimore. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun is hearing the same thing, tweeting that Monroe will test the open market and likely won’t re-sign with Baltimore, given the sort of offers expected from other suitors.
Monroe, who was acquired by the Ravens in a trade with the Jaguars last season, is viewed as one of the top tackles among this year’s class of free agents, along with Branden Albert of the Chiefs and Jared Veldheer of the Raiders. The Dolphins and Cardinals are a couple teams expected to seriously pursue a left tackle in free agency, and the Raiders could enter the mix for Monroe if they’re unable to lock up Veldheer.
According to Zenitz (Twitter link), Monroe is seeking a long-term deal that averages about $10MM annually, while the Ravens would prefer to pay closer to $8MM or $9MM per year. On the surface, that doesn’t seem like an insurmountable gap to bridge, but those annual salaries add up to a significant disparity over a four- or five-year contract, and the two sides could also disagree over the amount of guaranteed money.
As OverTheCap.com’s data shows, a salary of $10MM per year would make Monroe one of the top five highest-paid left tackles in the NFL by annual salary.
The Broncos have extended a second-round contract tender to free-agent-to-be Chris Harris, reports Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). The one-year offer is worth $2.187MM for the 2014 season, and gives Denver the right of first refusal on any offer sheet Harris signs in free agency.
Harris, 24, started 15 games at cornerback for the Broncos in 2013, matching his career-high with three interceptions and grading as an impressive ninth out of 110 qualified corners, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). He likely would’ve been in line for a first-round tender from the Broncos had he not torn his ACL in January. While that injury raises some question marks about Harris’ status for this summer and fall, the tear was only partial, and he’s recovering well so far.
Harris will have the option of accepting the tender from the Broncos, and playing out the 2014 season on a one-year contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent a year from now. He could also sign an offer sheet with a rival suitor once free agency opens. In that case, Denver would have to decide whether to match the offer and bring Harris back, or whether to let him walk and receive a compensatory second-round pick.
The Broncos have also extended contract tenders to two other defensive backs, according to Pelissero (via Twitter): Cornerback Tony Carter and safety Duke Ihenacho.